CTA waives Ventra card fee

The $5 fee to obtain a Ventra transit card will be waived through the end of the year, CTA officials said Friday after going back and forth for months over whether free cards would be issued.

The Ventra card can be obtained without a fee by applying online at ventrachicago.com, calling 877-669-8368 or visiting the Ventra customer service center at 165 N. Jefferson St., Chicago, officials said.

Starting Sept. 9, CTA and Pace commuters will be able to obtain a Ventra card from Ventra vending machines at CTA rail stations or at hundreds of Ventra retail locations. The $5 card purchase fee will be charged, but customers can have the fee refunded as stored transit value on their card by registering the card online or by phone, officials said.

Chicago Card Plus and Chicago Card customers, including those participating in the transit benefits program, which offers tax advantages to purchase transit fares, will begin to transition to Ventra starting in mid-September through the fall, officials said.

Ventra is replacing the current fare cards used on CTA and Pace. The transition is being phased in and will be completed in early 2014.

Commuters are advised to spend down the value on their existing fare cards, although balances can be transferred to the new Ventra system at no cost, officials said.

The cards eligible for balance transfers include both types of Chicago Cards and stored value magnetic strip full-fare and reduced-fare cards. Single-day and multiday passes, reduced-fare passes and passes sold in bulk or any expired fare media cannot be transferred, officials said.

Customers must register their Ventra cards to receive the balance transfers. Customers may present up to five eligible fare cards at a time with a combined minimum of $5 in transit value on the cards to transfer to a registered Ventra card.

One-day, three-day, seven-day and 30-day passes should be used before Dec. 15, officials said.